Civil Engineer

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Department of Agriculture

Job Summary

The Forest Service is using a Direct Hire Authority to fill this position. For Information on the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority, please visit https://www.opm.gov/policydata-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/.This position is located on the MarkTwain National Forest Public Services Team in Rolla, Missouri. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Amy Wilson at email amy.d.wilson@usda.gov or phone 573-341-7464.

Major Duties

  • Performs limited supervisory duties.
  • Provide professional engineering input into the interdisciplinary planning process for engineering projects involving natural resource development.
  • Prepare original designs and preliminary and final layouts. Prepare or supervise preparation of special design specifications, cost estimates, and complete design package.
  • Develop and modify civil engineering plans and specifications for new construction or to improve utility, quality, appropriateness, and appearance of construction.
  • Oversee the development of project plans and specifications prior to contract advertisement to ensure compliance with environmental requirements.
  • Develop programs for maintenance of facilities with responsibility for a broad range of actions, including determination of necessity, feasibility, and extent of work required.
  • Prepare or review Environmental Analyses, Environmental Impact Statements, and special reports regarding new or improved engineering construction.
  • Review plans and specifications to determine construction practicability and recommend modifications to improve utility, quality, and appearance.
  • Participate in pre-construction meetings to resolve construction problems that may be of unusual difficulty and complexity.
  • Interpret Agency policy and contracts for contractor, and resolves problems relating to plans, specifications, materials, reports, etc.
  • Work closely with Contracting Officer in obtaining authorization for changes to the requirements of contracts.

Qualifications

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement as defined below. For more information on the qualifications for this position, go to: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/group-stds/gs-admin.aspDegree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in professional engineering. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: Professional registration -- Current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination, or the written test required for professional registration, which is administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Applicants who have passed the EIT examination and have completed all the requirements for either (a) a bachelor's degree in engineering technology (BET) from an accredited college of university that included 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences, or (b) a BET from a program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) may be rated eligible for certain engineering positions at GS-5. Eligibility is limited to positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of the engineering technology program. Applicants for positions that involve highly technical research, development, or similar functions requiring an advanced level of competence in basic science must meet the basic requirements in paragraph A.

Because of the diversity in kind and quality of BET programs, graduates of other BET programs are required to complete at least 1 year of additional education or highly technical work experience of such nature as to provide reasonable assurance of the possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for professional engineering competence. The adequacy of this background must be demonstrated by passing the EIT examination. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described for a degree. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field, e.g., physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.) In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional education and/or experience are required for the grade(s) specified. For the GS-11 level:

Applicants must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (coursework directly related to position being filled); OR an appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D.) Professional engineering experience is defined as nonroutine engineering work that required and was characterized by (1) professional knowledge of engineering; (2) professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and (3) positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability. OR one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level; Specialized experience is defined as experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience include one or more of the following: Monitored day-to-day performance of a contract by reviewing drawings for accuracy and adequacy, evaluating requests for routine design deviations, and/or conducting site surveys to determine the need for new equipment or material; Prepared civil engineering design criteria for smaller or less complex projects, including portions of structures such as bridges, retaining walls, or structural pavement sections; Planned and conducted engineering projects according to clear and specified objectives such as developing technical data on materials, sizes, dimensions, and quantities and costs of materials to be incorporated in formal specifications; and/or performing routine safety related assessments, such as determining compliance with existing Federal, State, and/or organization safety regulations and/or evaluating potential safety regulation deficiencies. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Pay Range

$64,009.00 - $64,009.00

More information...

End Date: 

Monday, March 9, 2020